When the right logo is aligned with the right product it can become a priceless asset – think of the Nike swoosh or Mercedes’ three-pointed star. How do such logo designs achieve their immediate recognisability and ultimate longevity?

Well, there are certain traits held in common by most successful visual identities. One needs to capture and communicate the brand's character. And when it comes to updating an existing logo, one needs to consider whether the brand requires a major change of direction as a statement of intent or just small tweaks to avoid alienating longstanding customers.

Why is logo design important? A logo is usually the first piece of branding that a potential customer sees. It is also usually the piece that makes the biggest impression on us and stays with us the longest. A logo can tell us a lot about a brand, including what a brand does and what it stands for. When consumers connect with a logo design, they are often more inclined to invest their time or money in the company or product. Logo design is by no means the only element in successful branding, but it's one that needs to resonate from the outset because it's often at the centre of the whole brand strategy. And while most designers can create a reasonably decent logo, it takes a special mix of design skills, creative theory and skilful application to execute a logo design that's truly unique, appealing and memorable.

There are thousands, perhaps millions of brands competing for our attention, and this means brands need to differentiate themselves visually. This differentiation is achieved through brand identity design – a range of elements that work together to create a distinctive picture of the brand in our minds. Brand identity design can include everything from uniforms, vehicle graphics, business cards, product packaging, billboard advertising and coffee mugs and other collaterals, all the way through to photographic style and the choice of fonts.

A logo acts as a brand's face, allowing people to connect with it and remember it. The aim of logo design should therefore be to create something that people can easily picture when they think about their experiences with a product, company or service. When we look at something, we see shape and colour before we read. Only if that’s enough to hold our attention do we start to read. The job of great designers is to distil the essence of a brand into the shape and colour that’s most likely to endure.

01. Get to know the client and their business
Logos like those of Chanel and Woolmark have become priceless assets for their companies. Every client is different, and even in the same profession, people do their jobs in different ways. Logo design should begin with getting to know the client and their product. What do they do, and how do they do it? What makes them different from other brands? Who are they there for and what do they most value?  Some of these questions might seem so straightforward that they're unnecessary, but they can be challenging to answer and will lead to more questions about a clients business.

02. Start in black and white
Whilst colour is an important part of branding, it can sometimes be a distraction, and one that can make it difficult for a client to consider the basic concept of a logo. Leaving colour until later on in the process can allow the designer to focus on the idea of the logo design itself rather than on an element that’s usually much easier to change. It's impossible to rescue a poor idea with an interesting palette, but a good idea will still be good irrespective of colour. If you picture any well-known symbol, in most cases you'll think of the form first before the palette. It’s the lines, shapes and the idea itself that is most important, whether it's a bite from an apple, three parallel stripes, four linked circles in a horizontal line, or a swoosh.

03. Keep logo design relevant
A logo design needs to be relevant to the ideas, values and activities it represents. An elegant typeface will suit a high-end clothing store better than it will a children’s toyshop. Likewise, a palette of fluorescent pink and yellow probably won't help your message engage with male pensioners. The more appropriate the rationale behind a particular design, the easier it will be to sell the idea to a client.

04. Make the logo design easy to recall
A good logo design is memorable, allowing a brand to stay in a potential customer's mind despite other brands competition for their attention. Here simplicity is usually the best way to achieve this. A really simple logo can often be recalled even after just a brief glance, something that’s not possible with an overly detailed design. A trademark has to be focused on a concept (a single ‘story’). In most cases, this means it should have an uncomplicated form so that it can work at different sizes and in a range of applications, from a website icon in a browser to signage on a building.

05. A point of difference
If a brand's competitors are all using the same typographic style, the same kind of palette, or a symbol placed in the same position in regards to the brand name, this is the perfect opportunity to set a client apart rather than have them blend in. Doing something different can really help a logo design stand out.

06. Consider the wider brand identity
Consumers don't see a logo design in absolute isolation. It's usually presented in the context of a website, a poster, a business card, an app icon, or all manner of other supports and applications. A solid logo design should include relevant touch-points to show how the logo appears when seen by potential customers in a range of different environments. An effective brand will consider how the identity works when the logo isn’t there too. While it's hugely important, a symbol can only take an identity so far.

07. Remember symbols aren’t essential
A logo doesn't always need to be a symbol. Often a bespoke wordmark can work well, especially when the company name is unique – just think of Google, Mobil, or L'Oréal . Don’t be tempted to overdo the design flair just because the focus is on the letters. Legibility is key with any wordmark, and presentations should demonstrate how designs work at all sizes, large and small.

08. Develop the rest of the brand & bring your logo design to life
A logo design is just one small component of a branding scheme and should be developed in tandem with other activation points as part of a wider ‘brand world’. In the modern branding marketplace, a static logo that sits quietly in the corner of a finished piece of design is often no longer enough. You'll need to think about how your logo design could come to life in motion for digital applications That might require collaboration with animation or motion graphics specialists to explore its potential (for example Meta). As VR trends continue to evolve, more advanced immersive brand experiences are becoming increasingly accessible. Branding agencies have also explored the potential in generative design and user participation to introduce a much more dynamic, unpredictable component to logo design. This isn't always possible, but it's good to keep an open mind and experiment with new techniques when you can. 

09. Help the client to roll out your logo design
Handing off a finished logo design and leaving the brand to use it as it sees fit can be a recipe for disaster. Good designers should aim to provide the client with a style guide offering clear, thorough guidelines of how they should (and shouldn't) use your logo design. This should cover everything from colour options, to the minimum and maximum sizes at which logo designs should be used, positioning rules, spacing (including exclusion zones from other design elements) and any definite ‘do not do this’ (such as stretching or distorting).  Style guides can ensure a smooth, consistent handover to a client’s in-house team, but they should also be careful in not being overly restrictive and prescriptive. Either way, a client will need some form of guidance on how to apply the logo design to ensure it works as intended.